The majority of women in my women's group have issues related to trust. They don't trust other women or people in general. I think it is fear based. Fear of displaying weaknesses and being exploited. There is also a fear of being transparent. They do not get this from my dh and I, b/c we are very transparent with them. We allow them to see the human side of us. How do I begin ministering to them, to help them overcome this?
We came into a church that had split. (We're the first pastors since the split happened a little over 2 years ago.) The former pastor had done some things that at very least were considered unethical. He was also very much a dictator, or so we have been told.
Anyway, those in our church had trust issues. They were very cautious to say the least. So, our goal has been to develop relationships w/ the church members. We are also encouraging those in the church to develop relationships amongst themselves. We are also trying to create the opportunities for them to do so, i.e. fellowship dinners, etc.
My advice to you is just to focus on relationship building at first. Create situations where the women get a chance to get to know each other & build trust. A couple of months ago, I had the ladies over to my house for our monthly meeting. I had a jar w/ slips of paper w/ questions on them (i.e. if you had a million dollars, what 3 things would you do w/ the money , other than tithes & taxes & what person influenced you the most.) Everyone took turns answering the questions. It was a great time of sharing & getting to know each other. My ladies told me that it was the best meeting we've had.
We use the term "build" trust. It takes time & a lot of effort. And as you continue what you're doing, I think you're going to see some great results.
Yes, it absolutely takes time to build trust. The more time that goes by that they know you are there and committed to them...and committed to being transparent - the more you will get them to open up and trust you. Trace's advice is right on. With those new people that come in - the people who have been with you long term will vouch as to the trust they can place in you. When new ladies come in, my current ones tell them they can trust me and I do not have to go through as much to gain the new ones trust.